A Situation Like That
by Saraswathi
Summary: When Dom lands up in a situation similar to Lord Raoul's Midwinter dilemna, it's up to Kel to help him out and the situation is similar in more ways than one. Post Lady Knight.
1. Part One

**A Situation Like That**

_by Saraswathi_

----

_This first chapter is dedicated to my partner-in-crime, Jude(ling) or Ms. T. You deserve a Dom of your very own for all your wonderful e-mails, beta-reading, patience, humor and friendship! Not to mention your wonderful writing. Now if you would only update . . ._

_ A very happy new year to you. Enjoy. _

----

"Aren't you two friends? . . . I'd help my friends in a situation like that."

-Keladry of Mindelan to Lord Raoul on the subject of asking Buri to the Midwinter Party, p. 269, Squire

----

"No way in hell."

"Come on, Dom," his cousin coaxed. "It'll be fun.

"It will not be fun, Nealan," Dom spit. He paced up and down his room, waving a piece of paper. He ran a hand through his hair, rumpling it wildly. He showed no inclination to ask Neal, who had just arrived at his rooms, to sit down. This perturbed his cousin not at all, who threw himself into the nearest chair, all the better to observe his cousin with amusement.

"Don't call me Nealan," he told Dom, who, as usual, ignored him.

The sergeant stopped his feverish pacing directly in front of his cousin. "I call you Nealan when you are acting ridiculous, like you are now. It's a bloody ball. It will not be fun."

"Language, dear cousin," Neal chided, still grinning wickedly. He seemed to be deriving unholy amusement from watching the other man suffer.

He was cut short by another tirade from Dom. "It might be fun for you, that is, because you have Yuki. You get to flirt, dance, snog- whatever you like with my future cousin-in-law and have a marvelous time of it all."

"True," acknowledged Neal.

The sergeant shot him a glare before continuing. "And no one, mark this Neal, no one will connive for you to flirt, dance or snog with one of their daughters because you have Yuki- who, by the way, is a dear, but isn't making my life any easier at this point!"

Neal blinked. "Was that all one sentence?"

"Yes." Dom favored his cousin with a death glare.

"Impressive," Neal nodded, lapsing into silence for several seconds.

Dom stared. "Is that all you have to say to my predicament?"

Waving a hand vaguely at his cousin, as if swatting a fly, Neal said, "Silence, knave. I'm thinking."

"I'll send you a card to commemorate the moment," Dom said sarcastically.

Neal looked mildly affronted. "There's no need for that. I'm trying to help you, after all."

"I know. I'm sorry." Dom slumped into a chair, head in his hands.

A rarely heard silence fell between the two cousins, abruptly broken as Neal leapt up in excitement, knocking over the chair.

"Well, my dear cousin-" he began, striking a pose reminiscent of a sage imparting his wisdom.

Dom looked pained. "Really, Neal, is it absolutely necessary for you to reveal our association in public like this?"

Neal, as usual, ignored him. "As I was saying, the solution is perfectly simple and utterly obvious."

"Why'd it take you so long then?" Dom muttered.

Neal ploughed on. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

"I can," Dom interjected. "You're just slow." He tapped his head for emphasis.

Neal gave his cousin a dirty look. "Thank you. If I may proceed?"

"Don't let me stop you," Dom shrugged. Going to his desk, he poured himself a glass of water, from which he drank deeply. His cousin watched with interest, pontificating forgotten.

"What is that?"

"Water, you Meathead," Dom replied, pouring himself some more.

Neal appeared to be debating with himself inwardly. "Oh, give me some," he sighed. "Dom, my friend, you have no notion of how to properly entertain a guest."

"No, I just have the strangest notion that I don't want you drunk on my hands," his cousin replied, handing him a glass of water. Neal eyed it askance.

"Ah, well." He drunk. A moment later, most of the water escaped his mouth and soaked Dom as he spit it out. "This concoction is vile!"

The sergeant, with great difficulty, restrained his temper, which hadn't been in the best of form even before he was doused with water. "It's just regular water, Meathead. Did you have something to say, or was it time for you to leave? Not that I'd ever want to be deprived of your company, but I have to change."

All this was said as the Knight was grabbed into a headlock, so it was difficult for Neal to respond. He managed, however, to choke out, "Take someone."

Dom released him. "What?"

"Take someone," Neal repeated, massaging his neck. "To the ball. That way, none of the mothers will try to set you up and you'll have someone to talk to. Besides my illustrious self and my beautiful fiancée, of course."

Dom didn't even make a crack at the last statement. For once in his life, Neal had devised a decent scheme. And it could work. Except for one thing.

"Who would I take?"

Neal blinked. "What?"

"Who should I take?" repeated Dom. He wasn't currently courting anyone. He hadn't had so much as a fling since had returned from Scanra. He flirted, yes, but when it came down to it, there was only one woman he was interested in. And he would never ask her, for several complicated reasons.

"What about Kel?"

One of those aforementioned reasons being that she happened to be his cousin's best friend and he would never live it down.

In a would-be-casual tone, he asked, "What about Kel?"

Neal looked exasperated. Ordinarily, Dom would've been pleased, but he was too occupied in toying with this interesting idea. "Why don't you take her?" his cousin persisted.

"Why her?" Dom tried to sound innocent. His heart was drumming in his chest.

"If you don't flirt with her shamelessly, I'm a tree stump."

"But you are a tree stump, Meathead," Dom said sweetly. "You said yourself that I flirt with everyone."

"Not like this," Neal answered seriously.

Dom stared at the floor, unable to meet the knight's gaze. "She hates these functions," he objected after a moment, his voice lower than usual.

"She'll go for you," Neal persisted.

"She'll never agree," the sergeant argued half-heartedly, reaching for his shoes even as he said it.

"Not if you don't ask her." Neal clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go."

----

"Come in!" Kel called, far too exhausted to get up and answer the door. She never would have dreamed that she would spend her midwinter doing paperwork when she returned to Corus. Scribes could only do so much, after all. And the King, Wyldon, Vanget and Raoul had each demanded a separate account of Haven and her venture into Scanra. She had finished perhaps a fifth of the first report.

Kel flexed her fingers with a sigh. Having decided early on that there was no justice in Tortall, she saw no reason to change that opinion now.

The door flew open, heralding the arrival of Nealan of Queenscove.

"Keladry, my dear," he declared. "How marvelous to see you while we're not in mortal peril." He held out a hand. "No, no, don't get up."

The lady knight held back a smile. "I wasn't going to," she retorted. "What brings you out of Yuki's arms?"

Neal appeared indignant. "I am not always in Yuki's arms."

"Keep lying to yourself, Meathead," she heard Dom retort. A moment later, his appeared in the doorway. "Hello, Kel," he added, smiling at her.

"Hello," she replied, attempting to keep her voice quite calm. She failed utterly.

"We're not interrupting you, are we?" Dom asked in concern, with a nod at her desk, invisible under a sea of papers.

"Oh, no." Kel started to gather up her papers without any clear idea of what she was doing. "I mean, yes, you did, but I'm very glad of the interruption." She felt flustered. "I was doing paperwork," she explained lamely.

"Ah."Dom entered, perching on the arm of a chair opposite Neal. "That universal pain in every commanders'-" he paused, and changed the word he was going to use, "-neck."

She smiled. "Something like that, yes. Raoul wants a report, Lord Wyldon wants a report, General Vanget wants a report, even the King wants a report."

Dom looked thoughtful. "See, what I always did was write one, have a scribe copy it three more times and send them off. "

Kel sat up straight, her eyes sparkling. "Dom, have I every told you that you're a genius?"

He grinned, teeth flashing. "Many times," he teased. "But I don't mind hearing it again."

Unfortunately, Neal, who had his own genius for ruining moments, chose to interrupt here. "As interesting as all this is, don't you have something to say to Kel, Dom?

The lady knight glanced down, blushing, and missed the glare that Dom shot his cousin. When she looked back up, her face was composed again. "Yes?"

"Neal," Dom said pointedly. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

The knight munched unconcernedly at what was supposed to be Kel's snack. "What? I don't think so."

"Yes, you did." Dom gritted his teeth.

Neal looked at his cousin. "No, I didn't."

The commander appeared ready to strangle his cousin, a sentiment which Kel concurred with often but was currently baffled by. What in the name of the Goddess did want to talk to her about? And why didn't he want Neal to be present, as he already seemed to know about it?

"Neal." Dom's patience had fled. "Leave. Now."

"Fine," Neal relented. "I'll go and see Yuki. See you later, Kel."

Kel waved at him absently, still confused. She turned to Dom for an explanation, but the sergeant was pacing the room in preoccupations and didn't seem on the verge of producing any answers.

"Dom?" she finally ventured, after he had walked the length of her room five times and she was no closer to discovering what was going on.

"Yeah?" he replied, still looking everywhere but her.

Tilting her head to one side, she asked gently, "Did you have something you wanted to ask me?"

"No," he said. "I mean, yes. No, definitely not. Yes, I don't have anything to say."

Well. This was interesting. Kel had thought that she was the one who got flustered in Dom's presence, not the other way around.

"So," she prompted helpfully.

There was no reply from the sergeant, who was pacing her room as if he wanted to commit it to memory. He stopped in front of her lucky cats, picking one up with cautious, but curious hands. "I love these," he remarked.

Well, there's my agony over what to give him solved, Kel thought in relief. The many hours she'd spent trying to decide on his present didn't bear thinking about.

She ran a hand through her short brown hair, ready to mount a fresh offensive, when he abruptly turned and threw himself into the chair in front of her desk. "Kel," he said with a sigh, "you're not making this very easy."

Her eyes filled with laughter. "Have I _ever_ made things easy for you?"

Finally, he grinned. "Surely, you haven't been that consistent." His voice trailed off.

Hesitantly, she said, "Do you just want to tell me? Surely this can't be any worse than fighting in a battle."

His expression told her clearly that she had no idea. Instinctively, her hands reached across the desk to meet his. He sighed, brushing her hands lightly with his fingers, purely by accident, of course. "All right."

A knock on the door interrupted him, causing him to lean back in his chair, one eyebrow raised. "If that's Meathead again, I swear I'll-"

Hastily, Kel rose from her chair, heading off any violence between the cousins. "No I'm sure it's not. I'm really sorry about all this," she added over her shoulder, opening the door.

She thought she heard Dom mutter, "So am I," but dismissed it. Everything was so confusing; Dom, her paperwork, Dom, her feelings, Dom-

Upon opening the door, she discovered a messenger in Goldenlake colors shifting his weight impatiently. He straightened when he saw Kel.

"Milady," he bowed correctly, but there was a hint of both awe and apprehension in his eye. "A message for you from Lord Raoul."

She held out her hand. "All right," she said, feeling the slightest irritation at the interruption.

The sevant coughed. "He didn't write it, milady. He said to tell you that he hoped they were coming along well and to remind him that he expected on by this evening. I- I'm not sure what he meant, my lady, but-"

Kel smothered her annoyance. Of all interruptions, of all the times . . .

"Don't worry," she assured the servant. "I do. Thank you for passing along the message." She extracted a coin from her belt purse and gave it to him. Turning to disappear into her room, a thought struck her and she turned back, a wicked grin forming on her lips. "Would you mind passing on a message to Lord Raoul to me?"

Judging from his expression, the servant did mind, but he replied politely, "Not at all, my lady."

"Tell him to go to the Realms of the Black God the next time he feels like wasting my time," Kel stated clearly.

The servant gaped at her. "Milady?"

"Did you get that?" Kel inquired.

A civil war appeared to be going on inside the man. "My lady," he said at last, "Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak is the Lord Knight Commander of King's Own and advisor to the King himself." He said the titles with reverence.

"Yes," Kel responded sagely, feeling rather pleased with herself.

"All right, milady," the man said, resigning himself to the madness of nobles.

Kel returned into her rooms, grinning.

"Who was that?" Dom inquired, occupied in shredding a piece of paper in his hands.

"Lord Raoul," Kel stated clearly, "is a-" And here she used some not so complimentary epithets to describe her former knight master.

Her grin spread to Dom's lips. "Now, now, Keladry," he chided, sounding more like himself. "What on earth could Lord Raoul have done to prompt such a reaction?"

"He wants the bloody report by this evening," Kel pronounced, sorting desperately through the papers on her desk. "Which means if I work from now until midnight I might have half of it done."

"Dictate it to a scribe," advised Dom, in spite of the frustration that was gathering inside of him.

"Good idea, thanks." Kel alighted on the papers she wanted with a triumphant cry. Hugging them close to her chest, she looked up at Dom. "Can this wait? I'm really sorry- I wanted to talk to you. You've certainly excited my curiosity." She smiled. "But now this." She gestured futilely with the papers in her hand.

She seemed so repentant that Dom forgave her. Not that he wasn't going to anyway.

"Don't worry about it," he sighed.

Snatching up a cloak, Kel ran to the door. As it closed behind her, she could her Dom's parting words.

"I'll kill Lord Raoul for you."

----

1. Part One2. Part Two3. Part Three Next >

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted. 

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	2. Part Two

----

**A Situation Like That **

----

This_ chapter is dedicated to Hikki, who so graciously offered to be my new beta-reader when I was in desperate need of one and puts up with my erratic sending of fanfics and my late replying of e-mails. Thanks for your bluntess, sense of humor, friendship and general delightfulness._ _Have a very happy new year._

----

"You wanted to talk to me?' 

Kel slid into a seat across from the sergeant in the soldier's mess. 

"Mmh." Dom swallowed his mouthful. "Yes. Reports all finished?" 

Kel nodded. "So what's this secret?" 

"It's not really a secret," the sergeant appeared embarrassed. "I was just going to ask you to do a favor for me, but I know you wouldn't want to, so never mind." 

Kel narrowed her eyes. "Now, that's not playing fair, Dom. You know I'm going to grant it." 

Dom grinned. "That _was _the idea." He took another spoonful of soup, as if delaying the inevitable. "Um. There's this party. At my family's townhouse, in Corus. Anyway, if I go alone, every blasted woman in my family will ask why I haven't found a girl yet. Then my great-aunt Lucinda will lament my shortcomings at full bellow. You know; why I had to join the King's Own when I could have become a knight, why I haven't made more of myself, etc." 

Kel looked indignant, but said nothing. 

Heedlessly, Dom continued, "_Then_ they'll contrive to set me up with every single woman at the party, who will inevitably be a vapid, insipid court lady who I wouldn't give the time of day to." 

Kel tried to hide a smile. "Hence your reputation as a flirt?" she said dryly. 

"Exactly." Dom slapped his spoon down on the table for emphasis. "So I really need someone to go with me, and I was wondering . . ." He ran a finger around the edge of his glass, avoiding her gaze. 

"If I would come with you?" Kel finished. "But why don't you ask the lady who you're courting?" Under the table, she crossed her fingers. 

Dom seemed confused. "But I'm not courting anybody." 

"You're not?" asked the lady knight, feeling suddenly radiant with relief. 

"No." Dom's clear blue eyes met hers with a steady gaze. 

"Oh." Kel tried to hide her joy, but it was difficult. 

"And I don't want to just ask some woman who I don't know well, or she might think that my intentions are more serious than they actually are. I can't get married, you know-" Kel did know- "not as long as I stay in the Own." 

Kel smiled. "Okay. I'll go with you." 

"Really?" Dom grinned at her, causing her heart to somersault. "Thank you so much. This is brilliant; you have no idea how much easier this makes my life. Thank-" 

Laughing, Kel held up a hand. "It's nothing. But you owe me." 

"Anything you want, ever," promised Dom rashly. 

A wicked grin curved Kel's lips. "You might regret that." 

"I'm trembling," Dom retorted, but he was smiling. "All right, I'll go and send a note to my mother." 

"You do that." Kel couldn't stop smiling to herself as Dom left. _Dom_ had asked her to come with him. Dom had asked _her_ to come with him. And he would have to dance with her, at least once. And . . . 

Kel was interrupted from this disgustingly, court-ladylike train of thought by his voice. "Oh, Kel?" 

Rising to deposit her own silverware in the kitchens and leave, she saw Dom lingering in the doorway, a mischievious grin on his lips. "What would I have to do for you to wear a dress?" he asked teasingly. 

"Oh," Kel retorted, thinking that he was joking, "kiss me, of course." 

Though Kel _had_ done certain things in life that would cause some to question her sanity, this certainly won the joust. She could not believe those words had actually escaped her mouth. 

But Dom simply said, "Well, that's easy enough." 

He was still smiling that heart-melting grin. She felt her heart begin to pound. Warmth was racing through her body. He closed the distance between them in two strides and covered her mouth with his. Kel's usually controlled and reserved mind focused completely on the feel of his lips. His mouth was warm and soft on hers, and he smelt, oddly enough, of leather and cinnamon. 

A voice interrupted them from somewhere behind her. "Excuse me, milady? Are you finished with these?" 

"What?" Kel couldn't remember ever being more flustered. She drew away from Dom in embarrassment, unable to meet his gaze. 

Turning, she saw the servant who had addressed her, indicating her plate and cutlery. Thanking the Goddess several times over that the mess was all but empty, she said, "Oh, yes, thank you." 

"Very well, Lady Kel," the young woman said, ruining Kel's tentative hope that the woman wouldn't recognize her. She looked up with an impish _expression. "Sorry to interrupt." 

"No problem," managed Kel, inwardly thinking, _Oh, damn. This is going to be all over the palace by tomorrow. _

She turned back towards Dom, looking somewhere past his left ear. "So . . ." 

"So you'll wear the dress?" asked the sergeant, as if nothing had happened. 

Kel nodded. Speaking was probably beyond her by this point. 

"Okay." Dom looked as if he wanted to say something more, but couldn't find the words. "Midwinter luck, Kel," he offered instead, and then left abruptly. If Kel had been herself, she might have noticed his dazed look, but being distracted herself, she saw nothing. 

Instead, she collapsed back on the bench, two fingers pressed to her lips. She could only think one thing. "Why me?" 

----

"This looks lovely on you, milady," Lalasa assured her, after surveying Kel and the dress in the mirror with a critical eye. 

Privately, Kel still felt uncomfortable, like a plain sparrow in borrowed plumage. But the complaint dissolved in her mouth like spun sugar as she looked at herself. "I look _good_," she murmured in awe. 

"I told you," Lalasa said in satisfaction. As she began to fold away the myriad of dresses that Kel had tried on and rejected, she asked curiously, "What made you finally decide to wear a dress, milady? As I recall, you used to hate to wear one." 

Kel choked slightly. Deeming it better that Lalasa not know about the circumstances surrounding the dress, she simply said, "I don't know. I just thought it would make a nice change." 

"It certainly does," Lalasa declared, to a knock at the door. Her former maid swept up the discarded dresses into her arms as Kel opened the door. "Good day, sir Nealan," the woman curtsied, and brushed past the knight as he entered Kel's rooms. 

"Hello, Lalasa," Neal called back. He looked at Kel. "Lost her shyness, hasn't she?" 

Kel smiled. "Completely. How are you, Neal? I haven't seen much of you since you got back from your honeymoon." 

Her best friend had been glancing around the room. "Me? My dear Keladry, I'm touched by your concern for my health. But as you can see, I'm absolutely fine." 

"Yes," teased Kel. "I can see you're still touched in the head. Anyway, what brings you here?" 

"Well," Neal said, settling himself comfortably on Kel's bed. "I've been hearing some rumors . . ." He looked up at Kel expectantly. 

"Congratulations," Kel said tartly, trying to hide her growing panic. _If he heard about the kiss, I'm _never_ going to hear the end of it. _

"Don't play me for a fool, Kel," retorted her best friend. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Tell you what?" 

Neal threw up his hands in exasperation. "That you and my cousin are courting." 

"We're not," said Kel calmly, feeling her heartrate decrease to normal. 

Neal snorted. "It looks like that to me." 

"Then you're blind, Meathead," she said with finality. "I'm only going to the party tonight as a favor for him. You knew that; you came with him this morning when he came to ask me." 

Her best friend grinned. "Yes, but I felt beholden to ask you and watch you blush about it. It _is_ a best friend's duty." 

"Satisfied?" snapped Kel. 

"Not at all. You didn't even look conscious. You _always_ spoil my fun, Kel," Neal told her, mock-sadly. His eyes alighted on the dress, thrown across a chair, and his jaw dropped. "What is that?" 

"Nothing," Kel said hastily, snatching it up to hide. 

Neal grabbed it from her and held it out to admire, a river of green silk flowing from his hands. "Keladry of Mindelan! Never say that you're going to wear a dress." 

"I'm not," Kel attempted. "That's just a sample of Lalasa's; she left it here." Seeing Neal's _expression, she gave it up. "Well, I _was_ going to," she admitted. "But catch me doing it now." 

"Please." Neal put up a hand. "Don't deprive my cousin of such a vision on my account. He'll be so touched to see the sacrifices that you go through for him. Oh, sorry, I forgot. You're just _doing him a favor_." 

Kel longed to smack the grin off his face. She snatched the dress from him and threw it back on the bed. "You're never going to let me hear the end of this, are you?" 

Neal shook his head, still grinning. "When you and Dom get married, maybe." 

Kel shook a finger at him. "You will pay for that out on the practice courts." 

"Spare me," pleaded Neal. "I'm going to go tell Yuki about this. I'll see you this evening." Still smirking, he departed. 

_Damn it_ seemed to be fast becoming Kel's mantra. "Why on earth," she asked the offending dress, "am I cursed with friends?" 

----

Seven o'clock found Kel wrapped in the green dress, nervously pacing the room. "How am I supposed to face Dom after that-that _kiss_?" was the uppermost question on her mind. Forgetting about her carefully brushed hair, she ran her fingers through it, then focused on twisting her earbobs around and around until they nearly fell out. 

"This is ridiculous," she declared aloud. For the next few minutes, she occupied herself with finding places to conceal a knife and a few throwing stars in her dress. Warrior that she was, she had absolutely no intention of being caught unawares by any attack, dress or no. 

After all, the Scanrans could always decide to mount an attack on Corus _tonight_. It was better, she thought, to be safe then sorry. Lastly, she selected a shuksen, more for its decoration than because she thought she'd have any real reason to use it. Though if Dom's stories about his fearsome relatives were correct, she might be hard pressed not to by the end of the evening. 

"Ready for battle, are you, Protector of the Small?" 

Kel whirled around, opening the shuksen on reflex. Dom leant casually against the doorframe, his hands spread in a gesture of peace. "Spare me, O Protector, " he pleaded teasingly. 

From the moment she caught sight of him, she completely forgot to tell him not to call her by her nickname. Dom was devastatingly handsome even covered in mud; he cleaned up to be nothing short of gorgeous. She knew that she was blushing furiously. 

For his part, his bright blue widened as he took in her appearance. Realizing that he had never seen her in a dress before, she felt her blush deepening. 

He came forward, his eyes alight. "Commander Keladry in a dress. Very nice." 

"Well, don't get used to it," she told him, and then cursed herself. That _was not_ what she had meant to say. 

Thankfully, he just grinned and offered her his arm. "Don't worry. I won't. Shall we go, milady?" 

After a moment's hesitation, she placed her arm on his. "Indeed, good sir." 

----


	3. Part Three

**A Situation Like That**

-----

_Disclaimer: I stole the line, "The unfortunate mother of an unmannerly lout," from The Raven Ring by Patricia Wrede. Good book; go read it. Everything else belongs to Tamora Pierce, except for dialogue._

_And now, the last chapter. _

-----

Kel's laughter filled the carriage. "No- you didn't!"

"We most certainly did," Dom smirked. 

"You're awful!" exclaimed Kel. "I can't believe you would do that to milord." She paused. "And on his wedding night, of all times."

The sergeant grinned wickedly. "Well, that _was_ the idea."

Kel shook her head, smiling. She was glad she'd agreed to come tonight. It had been nice, just talking with him- getting to spend a little time together without eminent death and destruction. It seemed that the night could only get better, as well. For a moment, she let her practical self go and dreamed of dancing in Dom's arms. 

Coming back to the present, she resumed, "Bright Goddess, I'm almost afraid for my own life."

"Well, _you_ don't need to worry," Dom reassured her. "I wouldn't do anything to-" He broke off, looking out the window. "I think we're here."

The lady knight forgot her curiosity about what his last words would be at the return of fluttering in her stomach. The thought ot meeting Dom's mother, along with a good many of his other relations, made her more nervous than she cared to admit. 

The sergeant seemed to sense her anxiety. "Look, there's nothing to worry about," he told her, placing a hand on her arm. "We can leave early if you really hate it." 

She smiled at him. "No, I'm fine. I'm sure it will be fun."

"That makes one of us," he teased, removing his hand. Kel felt a pang of regret at the loss of the contact. It disappeared, however, as he offered her his arm with a courtier's bow. "Milady, if I might have the pleasure?"

"That's the second time today you've done that," Kel remarked. "I _can_ walk, you know."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "It would be impossible to think otherwise," he drawled. "However, the entire point of my bringing you here, besides spending time in your lovely company, of course-"

"Of course," Kel remarked, with a straight face. 

"-is to make it appear as though we are a couple," concluded her friend. "Are we going to stand here all night? My arm is starting to hurt."

She took the proffered arm. "Fine." 

Dom led her towards the house, remarking, "At the risk of being branded repetitive, may I say again how beautiful you look tonight?"

_Beautiful, _she thought, the word making her somewhat dizzy. "I won't brand you repetitive- just a liar."

She expected a witty retort, but all she got was, "It's in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?"

Their arrival at the door left her no chance to respond- a good thing, as she had no idea what to say. _He thinks I'm beautiful,_ she thought, and the idea made her breathless. She followed him inside the house.

----

"Dom!" A short, elegantly dressed woman rushed towards them the moment they entered the Masbolle's townhouse. She embraced the sergeant warmly, despite her formal clothing. 

He laughed as he kissed her on the cheek. "Hello, Mother."

"It's been too long," Dom's mother scolded, taking her son's hands. "Oh, it's good to see you. You look wonderful."

He bowed laughingly. "Only per your request."

As they bantered, Kel studied Dom's mother. At first glance, it wasn't easy to see traces of him- with her brown hair, streaked liberally with grey and her bright green eyes, she reminded Kel more of Neal than Dom. But the humor and vivacity already apparent in her manner clearly resembled her son's as well. 

The woman turned to Kel then. "Dom, you didn't tell me you were bringing anyone!" She eyed Kel speculatively, seeming to see into her soul. The effect was ruined, however, when the older woman smiled; warmth and understanding mingled in her eyes. "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm-"

"The unfortunate mother of an unmannerly lout," interrupted Dom. "Mother, this is Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. Kel, my mother, Lady Elaine of Masbolle."

"It's a honor to meet you, dear," Elaine said pleasantly. "And a pleasure as well. My son and nephew have told me of some of your heroics, but I must say, they hardly did you justice."

Kel couldn't imagine that she was a very impressive sight, even dressed as she was in one of Lalasa's perfect gowns. Still, she curtsied- catching herself before she bowed- and smiled back at the woman. "It's nice to meet you too."

The speculative gleam returned to Lady Elaine's eyes. "Well, I can tell that my son wants me to leave, so I'll be off." Kel snuck a glance at Dom and saw that he was blushing slightly. "You two enjoy yourselves." With that, Dom's mother disappeared into the crowd.

"She can be a little overpowering," Dom offered by way of apology. 

Kel shook her head. "I see where the family charm comes from now."

Raising his eyebrows, he smiled. "Why, thank you. Listen, do you want anything to drink?"

"No thanks," she replied. 

"Damn," he swore in mock regret. "And here I was thinking I'd be able to get you intoxicated enough to dance with me."

"You won't need to get me drunk for that!" Kel responded without thinking. 

Grinning, he disappeared into the crowd, leaving Kel to wonder when she'd become such a proficient flirt. _Probably a result of Dom's lessons_. 

Her reverie was interrupted by a half-shout. "So you're the wench that slept her way to knighthood, then?"

Kel turned, forcing down her rising anger. Even after she had proven herself over and over, bigots like this still remained. "I am Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan," she replied calmly, emphasizing her title. 

"Just as I thought," the older man sneered. He had the look of a fighter go somewhat to seed; in his late fifties, Kel judged. He was also quite obviously intoxicated, which perhaps explained his behavior, if it didn't justify it.

Repulsed, the lady knight turned away, hardly wanting to argue with this man in this particular place. The man, however, grabbed her arm. "Slut!" he cried. "Don't turn your back on me!"

Kel flexed her muscle sharply, forcing him to let her go. "You're drunk," she said with disgust. "But even if you were sober, I wouldn't listen to a word of your slander or lies. Don't touch me again." Aware that people were staring, she turned away and pushed through the crowd. 

A hand caught her arm. She spun around, thinking that it was the man again, but relaxed when she recognized Dom. He offered her a glass of water. "Here. I thought you might want this after that little incident."

Kel drank gratefully, trying to calm herself. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry about that," the sergeant apologized. "He's my sister in law's father; we're forced to invite him to these sorts of functions. You'll never catch him on the guest list again, though." He looked at her closely. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, meeting his gaze. He looked as though her were about to say something, but closed his mouth, a wry smile on his lips. 

"What?" she asked. 

Dom shook his head. "You're amazing."

"What?" she asked again, stupidly. 

"You're amazing," he repeated. "You've coped with so much from the conservatives off the court- so calmly, and then you get onto the practice courts or the jousting fields and you prove them completely wrong." He shook his head in wonder again. "I don't know. You're amazing." 

He took a deep breath. He was still smiling at her, and Kel wasn't sure she'd be able to remember her own name if someone asked her. "Well, since I just made a complete fool of myself on your account," the sergeant continued, "the least you can do is dance with me."

Kel shook her head. Now that the moment to really dance with him had come, she felt uneasy. "I'm not a very good dancer," she hedged. 

"Good." He grinned at her startled expression. "It's your turn to make a fool of yourself." Without another word, he seized her hands and drew her out onto the dance floor. 

Flustered at Dom's touch, Kel found herself wildly inventing steps or desperately copying the dancers around her. "Relax," Dom breathed in her ear. His voice simply made her more nervous. She tried to concentrate on the music, trying not to think of Dom's hand on her hip or his breath on her cheek. She let herself forget about the man, her feelings for Dom or what Neal would say if he saw them right now, and simply relaxed in the sergeant's arms. Slowly, she felt herself begin to respond to the beautiful melodies. 

"See?" Dom murmured. "You _can_ dance."

"Thanks." She carefully avoided his gaze, knowing that if he saw her expression, her eyes might reveal more than she wanted them to. Instead, she stared out at the other couples, when a familiar green-eyed gaze caught her eye. 

"Oh, no," she muttered. 

"What is it?" His grip on her hand tightened slightly. 

"Your cousin's here," Kel replied. "And if I know Neal, he's never going to let us forget this for the rest of our lives."

She could here the smile in his voice. "Well, that doesn't sounds so bad. I'd rather have this evening repeated in tales, then, say some of our Scanra exploits."

"Yes, but do you really want _Neal_ to tell the story?" 

"Good point. What do you suggest?"

_That we stop dancing_ was the sensible conclusion, but Kel would no sooner give up the opportunity to stay in his arms than she would give up her sword to an enemy. "Blackmail him," she suggested instead. 

He laughed. "I like the way you think. I have plenty of blackmail material if he tries anything."

"Good." They danced without speaking for a few minutes. 

"Kel?" Dom broke the silence. 

"Yes?" The tone of his voice thrilled her; she both wanted and feared to meet his gaze.

"Not a single matchmaking mother has approached this evening," he said lightly. Her hopes were dashed slightly, as he continued, "Have I thanked you already for that?"

"Only ten times, but you can thank me again." 

"Kel?" Something in his voice compelled her to look up. 

Was it her imagination, or did he draw her a little closer? "Kel, I-"

"Well, isn't this a pretty picture?" a voice interrupted them. Kel turned her head; Yuki and Neal were dancing fairly close to them. Almost instinctively, she let go of Dom, just as the song ended.

"I could say the same of you," the sergeant said to his cousin, moving off the dance floor. "Are you enjoying the party?"

Neal looked disappointed to have his attempt at insinuation thwarted, but vainly tried again. "Not as much as you two seem to be." He nodded towards Kel, who was chatting with Yuki.

Dom ran a hand through his hair, his eyes on Kel. "Yeah, thanks for suggesting that I invite her."

His cousin shrugged. "It's not as if you needed my help anyway."

Surprise filtered through the sergeant's eyes. "You're not saying that she-"

Neal cut him off. "Yes, cousin o' mine, I am saying that. And furthermore, I'm right. So you might want to take my advice for the second time in your life and do something about it, because I, for one, am getting sick of watching the two of you dance around each other." He paused. "No pun intended."

"I don't think it was one," Dom muttered absently, clearly deep in thought. He nodded pensively, then clapped Neal on the shoulder. "All right, Neal. Thanks."

"Anytime," Neal nodded at his cousin, as the two of them went to collect their companions and depart.

-----

"So, was it as bad as you expected?" Kel asked, smiling, as she leaned against the door to her rooms. 

"Actually, I enjoyed myself thouroughly," responded Dom. "But do you know what would have made my evening absolutely perfect?"

Kel's heart began to pound. "What?" she managed, unconciously leaning forward slightly. 

"If you had beaten up that idiot Meltren."

The lady knight covered her disapointment with a laugh. _What did you expect, Kel, that he was going to kiss you again?_ "I'm sure I'll have other opportunities."

The sergeant took in this words without comment. A brief silence stretched between them, in which Kel desperately racked her mind for the words to express what she had to say. Failing in her search, she opened her mouth to bid him goodnight, but he beat her to it. "Kel, I'm not sure _I'll_ ever have another opportunity to do _this_, so I'm going to seize the moment."

With that, he bent his head slightly and kissed her full on the mouth. Kissing him was every bit as pleasurable as she remembered it, and she hesitated only an instant before responding warmly. His hands brushed her neck, then steadied there, deepending the kiss. When he finally let her go, both of them were breathless. His eyes were questioning. 

She smiled in answer. "If it's up to me, you'll have plenty more opportunities," she replied, before taking his face in her hands and kissing him again.

----

_Happy Birthday, Judie! You're sixteen! I hope you enjoy this . . ._

_So. Another fanfic is done! Woot!_

_So it's merely one of many fics to be finished, but it's a step in the right direction._


End file.
